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Hatred In Lloyd Jones's 'Mister Pip'

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“What's worse than being hated is being ignored, because it's like you don't exist at all and your presence is nothing” - Unknown. Many people believe that being outright disliked is the worst thing someone could do to another person. However, being disregarded or ignored can have a much larger and greater effect on one’s self-esteem and personal life. Many people suffer from exclusion everywhere around the world in schools and workplaces. Being ignored and negatively acknowledged can both be detrimental to one’s self esteem and their overall productivity in offices and schools. I believe that being ignored has a much greater effect on one’s personal well-being and attitude towards life than outright dislike. In the novel Mister Pip, by Lloyd …show more content…

There are many different unique relationships but the most notable are his portrayal of characters that have outright dislike of each other. Jones portrays negative acknowledgement between characters such as Matilda’s mom, Dolores, and Mr. Watts. He is thoroughly disliked by Dolores because he is for one, white and second, does not believe in God or the Devil. Nonetheless, despite the hate, Mr. Watts doesn’t seem to mind one bit about this and carries on through life without feeling ashamed or distraught. He takes it upon himself to educate the children of the village and to open their minds to the world around them. Ultimately, Dolores’ dedication to the Bible is what draws the line between Mr. Watts and her. The quotes: “At the end of the story, my mum looked across to Mr. Watts, and the two of them held each other’s eye until they remembered us” and “When she showed up in class the next morning it was obvious she hadn’t come to speak to us. She had come to pick a fight with Mr. Watts”. These two quotes exemplifies the fact that tension has been created between the two individuals as a result of their own personal beliefs. Dolores explicitly expresses hatred and dislike towards Mr. Watts and does not want him to educate her girl Matilda. Although Mr. Watts was negatively acknowledged by Dolores, he does not falter off of his life path and continues to educate and be kind to all the people around him.Sadly, by the end of the book, he pays the ultimate price, sacrificing himself for the village that never really accepted his presence. Evidently, through this example, Lloyd Jones’ shows that dislike and negative acknowledgement is not nearly as severe as if one was being disregarded or

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